Assessment of Heavy Metals in Urban Areas of Al Hashmiyya City of Jordan

The present study aims to assess the behavior of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Cu and Ni) in the topsoil of Al Hashmiyya city in Jordan, their contamination level and the possible contamination sources. Heavy metals analyses were assessed using Krigging map, Enrichment Factor (EF), and geo-accumulation index (Igeo). The findings indicate that all heavy metals, except Cu, were present in higher concentrations above the safe limit. Multivariate analyses indicate that for all the tested heavy metals, soil pH was the most significant factor affecting heavy metal loads except for Cu, which was significantly related to iron oxides only. Moreover, the results indicate the presence of three major clusters: Pb, Zn, and Cr; Zn, Pb and Cr; and Cu, which does not behave differently from the other heavy metals. Most of the sites in the present study area are contaminated by heavy metals above threshold levels, reaching 100% probability. The present study shows the urgent need to monitor and control industrial emissions and remediate the heavily contaminated urban soils found in the study area.